WHEN Narrawong resident Gerri Torpy saw the range of picturesque destination posters her friend Chris ‘Roy’ Taylor had designed for different councils throughout Victoria she thought: why doesn’t Narrawong have its own poster?

With Taylor’s depictions of stunning regions such as the Macedon Ranges, Gisborne and more, Ms Torpy reasoned that because Narrawong is such a beautiful part of the world in its own right, it surely should have one!

Not one to let grass grow under her feet, the award-winning Bay of Whales Gallery & Coffee Shop manager – no stranger to event management and tourism, and with her own Socials Marketing business – set about making that happen.

So, she approached Clyde Aley of the Narrawong Lavender Farm and Brad Williams of the Big4 Narrawong Island Holiday Park and asked if they wanted to come on board to create a Narrawong destination brochure people would want to take home.

“Clyde and Brad were on board straight away. We’re all very cooperative in our businesses, and we’ll always cross promote each other,” Ms Torpy said.  

The poster went through about five drafts as Ms Torpy worked with Mr Taylor – previously a cartoonist with the Herald Sun for 20 years – on achieving a poster that would be a snapshot of Narrawong at its best.

The end result is something to be immensely proud of.

“The poster basically depicts the Surry River and Surry River Bridge (not far from the beach), and this could be any day in summer,” Ms Torpy said.  

“It’s got kids in the water swimming, people picnicking, someone fishing, people in canoes … it’s an iconic scene of summer on the Surry River.”

Since going on sale at the Bay of Whales Gallery & Coffee Shop over the weekend, the poster has already been going gangbusters.

“We’ve had really good sales both online with people messaging me and with others dropping into the gallery to purchase the posters. A number of people bought several posters at once,” Ms Torpy said.

“Both Brad and Clyde at the caravan park and the lavender farm are pleased with the result and will be stocking the posters from this week.

“It’s a great marketing initiative for us. With so many people from outlying towns and cities such as Portland, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and even further afield who have been coming here for years, it’s great for them to be able to take a memento like this back and hang on their  lounge room wall.

“It’s a good reminder of the great times that they’ve had in Narrawong but also a reminder to come back.”

There has already been huge interest in seeing the poster printed onto a tea towel and other products. It’s definitely a possibility, but Ms Torpy is keen to see how the poster goes before expanding into other merchandise.

The poster is available in three sizes – A1 (poster size), A2 (half poster size) and A3 – from the Bay of Whales Gallery & Coffee Shop, the Narrawong Lavender Farm, and the Big4 Narrawong Island Holiday Park.